Listen to the Podcast to learn about
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Musician Tips |
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| New Guest Writer Section |
| Tips now available as a Podcast! |
Listen to the Podcast to learn about
An interview with Lindsay Baldwin
Who decides what's played on the air.
Getting your music on college radio
Should you be touring?
Myspace or a band website.
Ideas for marketing your band
Let us know what you think about amps
Listen to the samples and chooseTube or Solid State?
Don't fall for the mareketing hype
90 days same as cash deals !
Don't pay anything till next year!
Develope a plan of action
Quote from Dave Ramsey Author of The total money make over
and talk show host.
How to bargan with the music stores and more....
Guitar amps getting more bang for your buck!
Podcasting & the RIAA
Tip for 8 - 2005
| Gigs think outside the box |
For many indie bands playing the club scene in and around the home town doesn’t get them the exposure they want and need fast enough… So one must think outside the box. Clubs are not the only venues that need your music. If you see some thing happening in your community a Red Cross benefit perhaps contact them and ask if they need entertainment tell them your willing to play for free. Free! Yea I said free… Here is the pay off, you see the Red Cross benefit example above is a news worthy event that will get exposure on radio, news papers, and even tv. Do you think your band could come up with the advertising dollars to get you that kind of exposure? You can get it for free, by offering your services to them at no cost. Get creative ask if they will post your bands name in the publicity materials and such, it doesn’t hurt to ask. Also you never know who you will meet at these types of events so be prepared with business cards, they are inconspicuous and should have information that leads them to your booking number and website for more information on how to get in contact with your band. If your band is structured as a business then you can write this off on your taxes, just ask for a letter of recommendation, or keep a copy of advertising for the event and have some one sign off on it for your records. I hope this encourages you to step outside of the box and get the exposure your band needs and deserves.
Tips for 7-2005
Recording in the digital age .
In home and project studios alike space is a limitation not to mention isolation problems. Here are a few ways of solving some of these issues.
Equipment needed are a digital multi track recorder,6 - 8 microphones, two or three direct boxes, a reamp or a preamp.
Prepare to record in the following manner:
First of all you will only mic the drum set. Using any drum micing techniques you desire. Record guitars and bass direct. You will be using a direct box or a preamp such as the Line 6 pod. Although a direct box would be best. The reasoning behind that comment is that you will have to live with the choice of effects, or the amp modeler you choose etc… Record the vocal track as a scratch. This vocal is just for the musicians to get cues on where they are in the song.
Some helpful hints:
Have guitarist play only the rhythm parts, leads can be recorded later. If one of the musicians is singing and playing get them as far from the drum set as possible, this is to avoid the voice bleeding into the drum tracks.
Get the musicians a head phone mix, tweak any microphones on the drums until they sound the way you want. Start the recording process. Record each track several times listen back to them, while taking notes. Choose the best takes.
Now your ready to do some over dubs. This is where you record lead guitar parts, and other elaborate musical fills. Once completed you can reamp the guitar if so desired. Reamping is done with a device called a reamp. This device allows you to play the recorded guitar track to be sent out of the mixing console on through to the reamp box into an amplifier then rerecorded using a microphone of your choice. This technique is used by many engineers to get the true sound of the amplifier’s speaker. The same process can be done with the bass track.
Once the guitars are recorded then you are ready for your vocal tracks. Your lead vocal should be done first then any backups or harmonies will follow. Now that you have completed the final stage you can mix till your heart’s content. The end result will be a clean sounding recording.
Tip for 6-2005 You've spent money on a demo now what? In this article I will provide some examples of using your resources to help advance your musical career. For artist in the state of Texas my recommendation is for you to check out http://www.governor.state.tx.us/music the website is loaded with good information. Such as how to handle your band as a business, it also explains the deductions you can take etc... If you’re planning a tour of the state of Texas it provides booking information on music venues for the entire state. If you would like to play at a festival in Texas this website has information on that too. You can even get your band listed on this site so potential work can come your way. This website is a great resource. Internet radio stations are they good or bad? Well if you’re an up and coming artist you need to get your music out there! You need the music to be heard! I understand that you don't get paid royalties on internet radio stations. The idea here is to get your music heard by as many people as you can. Don't give away every song just one or two so that people can know what your band sounds like. This is a big selling point for shows. The fans of live music will know what your music sounds like before hand. If they like what they hear they may even show up at one of the shows. Many internet radio sites have sections dedicated to show dates, some even have a ranking system so you can see how the fans like your music! Here are just a few www.radioiv.com , www.texastopforty.com , and www.unsignedbandweb.com. Music is very competitive, so use your resources it's a very effective way to promote yourself as a band or solo artist.
Tip for 5-2005 Copyrights: As a engineer/musician I get questions about copyrights all the time. Here is what the Library of congress states... "Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device." This how ever doesn't protect you or your music. Here is the number one question I get asked, it's know as the Poor Mans Copy Right. This is what the Libary of Congress has to say about it. "The practice of sending a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a “poor man’s copyright.” There is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration." My suggestion is for you to register your material with the Library of Congress! "Registration is recommended for a number of reasons. Many choose to register their works because they wish to have the facts of their copyright on the public record and have a certificate of registration. Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees in successful litigation. Finally, if registration occurs within 5 years of publication, it is considered prima facie evidence in a court of law. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “ Copyright Registration” and Circular 38b, Highlights of Copyright Amendments Contained in the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA), on non-U.S. works." So basicly stated in the above paragraph this is the most effective way to protect your music this information was taken straight form the Library of Congress web site. Which form do I use? Here is the explanation from the Library of Congress... "These forms are for registering two different types of copyrightable works that may be embodied in a recording. Form PA is used for the registration of music and/or lyrics (as well as other works of the performing arts), even if your song is on a cassette. Form SR is used for registering the performance and production of a particular recording of sounds." So the form PA is what you need to fill out. How can I know when my submission for registration is received by the Copyright Office?
"The Copyright Office does not provide a confirmation of receipt. Currently, if you use a commercial carrier (such as Federal Express, Airborne Express, DHL Worldwide Express, or United Parcel Service), that company may be able to provide an acknowledgment of receipt by the Copyright Office. Due to the mail disruption, an acknowledgment of receipt for mail sent via the U.S. Postal Service, e.g., certified, registered and overnight delivery, may take several weeks or longer to receive. Claims to copyright may also be hand delivered to the Copyright Office." How long does the registration process take, and when will I receive my certificate?
"The time the Copyright Office requires to process an application varies, depending on the amount of material the Office is receiving. If your submission is in order, you may generally expect to receive a certificate of registration within approximately 4 to 5 months of submission." What are the fees? The cost is $30 to file form PA. The good thing is that you can fill one song or a collection of works for the same price. Here is the link to the Library of Congress website for you further review. Tip For 4-2005 Pre Production: This is very important, pre production is the planning stage. This is your screaning time. Visit the studios, talk to the engineers and (producer) about the scope of your project. This is the time in which you see if you feel comfortable with the people you will be working with, the sound engineer, the (producer) etc... Discuss your budget, the vision you have for the project's final out come. Will you want to use the studio to capture your music the way you play it at rehearsals. Then a demo is what you want. Will you use the studio produce a more refined finished product for an ep or a full fledge cd project. These are all topics that need to be covered before hiring anyone. There is a difference in cost for these types of projects and you should know roughly how much it will cost so you can budget accordingly. Pre production will save you lots of heart ache not to mention cold hard cash. So do your home work before embarking on any project.
Tip For 3-2005 Should your band hire a producer? In the following short aticle I will discuss the reasons why a producer should be hired. The reason for hiring a producer will depend on what your trying to achieve with your recording. First lets define what a producer does. Producers keep a recording project in budget and have the project completed in the time frame alocated. A producer will have a game plan for each day of the recording process in order to achieve his/her goal. A producer should have the following qualities;
In many situations artist/band tend to want to record with out a producer, lots of times it comes down to who ever is paying the most will be the producer or the best musician produces, or the artist and the engineer produce. The first approach can cause problems as the decisions being made can be made for the wrong reasons. The more me in the mix now! approach, I don't care if I'm stepping on the vocal. The second of the three may not allways be a good decision either many times there is some one in the band that is the one take wonder. This is great but one take wonders don't allways have the patience for others who are not at their experience level. The last scenario is probably the best if the resources are not availble to hire a producer. The reason this works to an extent is that the artist an the engineer can bounce ideas off one another. Many engineers have qualities of producers but may lack in some areas. All is not lost how ever, if your going to record a demo to get work in clubs then you don't have to hire a produer. If your demo is going to be shoped around then it's a good idea to hire one.
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